For the 13th time in the last 16 years the Scottsbluff boys basketball team is headed to Lincoln to play in the Class B State Tournament as the Bearcats on Monday night beat visiting Seward 49-46 to win the B-3 District Final.
If you know, you know- It was one of those nights at the gym at Scottsbluff High School. The place was on absolute fire as both teams gave everything they could and the crowd for both teams matched that intensity in the bleachers.
Rylee Meininger led Scottsbluff with 12 points (four 3’s) while Nate Kelley finished with 10 points that included hitting his final four free throws down the stretch and he added the game clinching steal in the closing seconds to prevent Seward from getting a late three point attempt that could have tied the game.
Seward led 9-7 at the end of the first quarter but by the end of the second quarter Scottsbluff had surged in front as they got a three ball from freshman Tre Boswell towards the end of the first half to lead 20-15 at the break.
After going up by eight points in the second half the Bearcats watched Seward go on a run and eventually take the lead in the fourth quarter by as many as three points.
But in typical Bearcat fashion they had the answer from long range; Caleb Swisher a four ball (3 and a foul) out of the left corner, Keon Delgado a left wing three, and Meininger drilled a right corner three…and all of those buckets came in crucial stretches of the game.
Kameron Dyer led the Blue Jays in scoring with 15 points and played tremendous on-ball defense all night long to help lead his team.
You got to give credit where it’s due and Seward came to play last night, really pushing Scottsbluff to the limit in a 3 vs. 14 matchup. They’re a well coached and disciplined team.
I charted only 11 combined turnovers between the two teams last night.
The district final atmosphere over the years at Scottsbluff has been awesome and last night was no different. I don’t have the exact quote but I talked to Seward head coach Trevor Menke after the game, and he couldn’t have been more proud of his team and also said it was just a great environment to play in front of and said they love coming out here to play.
Coach Gullion of Scottsbluff added last night on social media, “Best community support in the state!”
There are still some district finals tonight that could have an outcome on the final seeding for the state tournament so nothing set in stone yet for Scottsbluff.
Well, one thing is set in stone; They’ll return to Lincoln next week for the Class B State Tournament. Almost an annual right of passage at this point for the Scottsbluff boys basketball program.
